Green Eyes and Rainy Days
by HextheDaydreamer
Summary: "Somewhere, buried deep within his heart, he loved her more than words could say." Pre-ACC. A oneshot regarding Cloud Strife and a fragment of his life, filled with rainy days and memories with green eyes.


**Author's Note: It's raining where I am right now and I was in a FF7 mood so I just typed this up. There isn't much more to say so enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: All hail Square Enix.**

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_Green Eyes and Rainy Days_

Somewhere, buried deep within his heart, he loved her more than words could say.

But in that same breath, the very same breath that he spoke the words of his confession, he knew he was not what she needed, never what she wanted.

His past was too broken, a vast jigsaw puzzle with too many sharp pieces that would cut and scar her. He felt too deeply, dwelt on the past too much and he knew how much he was hurting her.

He never wanted to hurt. He wanted to protect her, the air she breathed, the earth she walked. Protect the smile on her face, the warmth in her eyes, soft skin that she would yield to him.

The air was sweet around her, there was a grace there that he could not define and it was powerful and consuming and whole. He was not. He would never be whole again; there were too many _holes _to fill.

He wanted to be her knight, take care of her for once and not the other way around.

He wanted to be her equal, to take things up and let them go because he has a hard time learning new things and letting go of the old things. He's trying to put down the sword but it's like another part of him, a vital part of his identity that he's afraid to lose. He fought so long and so hard that the memories of death and blood become so vivid, so real, that every time he looks at his would-be son; he can imagine that boy wading through a sea of blood with bright tears in his eyes, a broken sword in his hand, and hollow words falling from his lips.

He doesn't want that for them, a life of fighting and running and forgetting. He wants the world to be safe for them when his body finally gives up and dies.

He hasn't give up today. He's just forgotten how to carry on and let things die, "give up the ghost" or something like that.

His sadness is worn tight around his hunched shoulders, raining clear in his vacant almost shameful stare and he finds that he can't look anyone in the eye anymore. He hates looking into green eyes the most because he feels both angry and sad. The two of them stand side-by-side and while she's smiling like an angel, the silver-haired one can only grin and raise his sword, once more replaying the old shadows of heartbreak.

He sighs, staring up at her window and wondering whether or not he should come in. He has delivered all packages, done his fair share of brooding, and he was even able to crack a smile as he watched a group of kids playing soccer in the alley. One girl had green eyes. She was clearly the eldest because of her height and he watched as she blocked all goals on her net even when the ball had hit her full force in the chest. She was laughing then too and she saw him watching and held out a hand.

"Wanna play, Cloud?" she looked awfully nervous when he had stepped out of the shadows and the children all froze to stare at him in awe. She picked up the ball, wiping sweat from her brow, and tossed it to him while telling him the teams and names of all the players. She forgot to introduce herself but he didn't mind, he had picked out a name already and it was Giggles. He played against her, trying not to kick the ball too hard because mako tended to make one much stronger than a human being. He didn't keep track of the score either, just played the game and paused as she continued to laugh.

After the game, it had started to rain and the children all ran for cover. The green-eyed girl didn't. For the longest time, she just stood in the rain and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and calming herself down. When she opened her eyes, he was still there staring at her. Her eyes weren't green. They were hazel, brown and green around her pupil with silvery strands and then a darker ring of brown up against the tiny black dot. He could see the freckles on her face, the dimples in her cheeks, and how she ran over to him to finally get out of the rain.

"That was fun," she said breathless, rubbing her arms for warmth and shaking her hair out of her face. "You should do that more often, the kids loved it."

"Hmm." She giggled again and leaned back, staring around the alleyway and coughing a bit.

"Well, I should get going, I have to fix a roof or my friend will get mad at me. See you around."

She took off down the street and paused half way to wave back at him and then continued on her way when he nodded to her.

Cloud looked up at Tifa's window again and shook his head, opening the front door and carefully shaking the rain off his shoes before trekking upstairs. He went into Marlene and Denzel's room first, kissing them both on their foreheads and pushing Marlene's chocobo plushie under her arm, and pulling the covers up to Denzel's chin. He snuck into Tifa's room and sat down slowly, pushing his hand through her hair and willing a tiny smile onto his face when she opened her eyes.

"Cloud?" she mumbled confused, sleep thick in her voice.

"Hey."

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing love, you're asleep. I thought I'd stop by and tell you that I'll be home in the morning."

"Really?" he nodded, she looked so cute when she yawned up at him and fell back into her real dreams. Cloud got up and went downstairs, the rain was letting up and he could the faintest sight of pink clouds as the sun began to rise over the rooftops of Edge and Midgar. He grabbed the coffee pot and left his sword near the door.

Sure, he wasn't perfect. He mourned the past and dreaded the future. But he knew one thing: For as long as there was a present, he would always try and be here.


End file.
